Luke Spars With Rey On New Last Jedi Poster

A new poster for Star Wars: The Last Jedi appears to show Luke Skywalker sparring with Rey on Ahch-To as he conducts her training. Marketing for the eighth chapter in the Skywalker saga is in full swing, and since Lucasfilm has unveiled little plot details to this point, fans are left to their own devices to theorize and speculate about the movie’s events. Recently, one of the more interesting discussions covers whether or not Rey comes to blows with Luke while training alongside the exiled Jedi. Images from TV spots and behind-the-scenes reels suggest the two fight at some point, though that has hardly been confirmed.

Since this is a new episode of the mainline Star Wars saga, it goes without saying there will be a lightsaber battle at some point – the only question is with whom. Official Last Jedi advertising has depicted Rey, Kylo Ren, and Luke wielding the famous weapons, but with Skywalker’s ultimate allegiances seemingly up in the air, there’s no telling how things will play out once the movie opens. But before Rey duels either her teacher or nemesis, she’s going to have to perfect her technique, and that’s the topic of Luke’s lesson in new artwork.

Dolby Cinema unveiled an exclusive poster for Episode VIII, hammering home the film’s now-famous red motif. At first glance, it doesn’t appear to offer much more than another look at the characters, but positioned directly under Rey’s right arm are the silhouettes of two people on what appears to be an Ahch-To mountaintop engaged in a fight with each other. You can check out the one-sheet for yourself in the space below:

The figure on the left is most likely Rey, who is certainly on the defense against her attacker. Interestingly enough, she seems to be holding her trusty staff, which is something Rey is still using in Last Jedi despite being in possession of the Skywalker family lightsaber. As for the identity of the person on the right, it is difficult to say, but a plausible hypothesis is Luke, who will be training the young scavenger for at least part of the film. Based on the trailer, he eventually grows wary of Rey’s abilities, but at the outset of their relationship, Luke will be trying to help Rey better control her newfound powers.

If Rey is holding her staff on the poster (and the length of her weapon seems to indicate she is), then odds are Luke is not using a lightsaber. One of the new accessories the original trilogy hero will be using in Last Jediis a walking stick, which has already been glimpsed in sketches based on Lucasfilm’s promotional images of the cast. Perhaps Luke uses it as a de facto training saber, something that’s been featured in canon content like Rebels, to spar with Rey before moving on to actual lightsabers. Quite frankly, Rey’s staff against a laser sword isn’t a fair matchup (unless the staff holds some secrets), so this scene in question probably isn’t a matter of life or death. Rey and Luke may very well cross blades at some point, but that isn’t something the studio’s going to reveal on a poster one month before the premiere.